Check It Out

Home Brew

Why Do We Do That? Series

found on the
Adult Faith Formation Page

Marriage Preparation Dates:
Click here to get more specific information  

Pre-Cana:
September 12, 2020
November 7, 2020

Engaged Encounter: 
Overnight retreat for engaged couples held at Mount St. Joseph Retreat Center 
Nov. 7-8, 2020 

ReMarriage
(formerly called  "Once More with Love" for second marriages due to death of a spouse or declaration of invalidity)

Girlfriends with Danielle Bean

A Podcast for    Catholic Women

Check out a couple of her podcast below. Then scroll on down if you want to hear more.   

6 Toddler Hacks for Weary Moms  

3 Ways to Declutter

For more eposiodes of Girlfriends click here

Bobby Angel has a two-year-old son, and works at an all-boys school with seventh graders. He discusses some wisdom he has gained while striving to raise a good man, and helping to raise good men.

1. The old maxim “monkey see, monkey do” may have come from a father raising boys. As a father, how am I behaving, how am I talking to others, what shows am I watching? Do I go to church? Boys do and don’t do what they see the men in their lives doing and not doing.

2. Risks and boundaries need to be well-balanced. Boys learn by testing boundaries. We need to encourage young boys to take risks to a reasonable extent. Instead of saying “Be careful,” all of the time, say, “Pay attention.” This will teach them to take on the risky challenges in their lives. Allow them to take adventures, and be there to back them up. 

3. Show him he is worth spending time with, even wasting time with. That free Saturday should be something fathers genuinely look forward to.

4. Fraternity matters. Boys need strong friendships. There are destructive and constructive friendships. Friendships where there are prayer and affirmation, where he is appreciated just for who he is, are important. 1 Timothy 5:1 says, “treat younger men like brothers … ” Be a true friend to him, like a brother, and show him what a true friend is through the friendships in your life.

St. John Henry Newman said youth need a masculine religion. No guy wants to be nice. We want to go on adventure and lay our life down. Practice your faith with boldness. Pray for wisdom, and for God to help you put that wisdom to action in your attempts to be a good role-model for your son and any other boys in your life.

"Be Light" Date Night Series 

-  Presented by Witness to Love  

Twenty-seven couples from the Diocese of Owensboro participated in the "Be Light" date night renewal video series in April. Witness to Love (the creator) was overwhelmed by the response of over 1,500 couples in 9 countries and 142 Dioceses who registered for the series. Because it was so popular, they have decided to continue the series and offer monthly date night videos going forward. 

The videos are around 10 minutes, followed by discussion questions. This was created in response to the Coronavirus quarantine as a way for couples to stay connected and care for their marriages.
Any couple in the Diocese of Owensboro is invited and encouraged to  register here. 

RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS

Is It the Thought That Counts?

I can remember times when I received a gift that I would not have chosen for myself. At those times I certainly thought to myself that “it was the thought that counts.” I was happy that the gift-giver thought of me at all. Then there have been times when my children have not given me a gift and then chose to tell me all about what they were going to give me. They would then follow it up by saying, “it was the thought that really counts.” Really!?! I don’t think so. I could think of sending my wife on a cruise, but that is not in any way the same as going on the cruise. I think there are times when all of us think we are more generous than we are, simply because we were thinking about being generous.

This way of thinking can be dangerous. Jesus teaches us to say what we mean and mean what we say. The intentionality of our actions is important, but intentionality without action is meaningless. How we act and what we give serves as evidence of our intentions and indicates where our heart truly lies. If we fool ourselves into thinking we are someone we are not, it can become difficult to see the truth. We need to look for the fruit in our lives. We need to make sure our desires and thoughts are moving us to act. You know that other saying about intentions, don’t you? Don’t pave the road to a place no one wants to end up with your intentions. Instead, let your intentions and actions lead others to another place where Jesus can be found.

– Tracy Earl Welliver


Be Sure to Look the Part

I used to coach my oldest son in soccer when he was younger. As he got older, he would go to tryouts for select and high school teams. I was no longer the coach, but I always shared with him one piece of advice before any tryout: Be sure to look the part. I told him that if he showed up looking like a soccer player, there was an increased chance of him being seen as a soccer player. If he showed up looking like a kid that plays soccer in video games as opposed to the real thing, he might not be taken seriously. As he grew older, that same advice was then applied to getting a job. It’s advice I have heeded myself all my life. You can even say it is like another common phrase: “Fake it till you make it.”

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we certainly do not want to fake it, but we do need to look the part. The world looks at those of us who proclaim to be Christians to see if there is anything to this way of life. If they see us looking and acting like people transformed by Jesus Christ, they will be more likely to take Christianity seriously. If they look at us and see nothing different, then they can easily conclude that there is nothing different about Jesus Christ. He just becomes simply another religious figure of history. Can the world see the power of Christ in you? How will do you look the part?

– Tracy Earl Welliver

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Life is not always easy on us and it can be hard to figure out the next step to take in our journey. We can even become immobilized by indecisiveness and fear about making the wrong move or choosing the incorrect path. I think of the song, Should I Stay, or Should I Go, as a mantra for many times in my life. Should I stay in this house, this job, or this car? Should I go here or there? When those times of decision surface, I usually turn to my wife, my friends, or even my children. Talking it out can help, and their perspectives give me more data to consider. When I lean on others to help me make a decision, it helps me become more confident in my choices.

Discerning the will of God is not easy either. Rarely do we understand God’s calling clearly at first. God’s calling is always more easily discerned within a community of faithful disciples. Our stewardship way of life can suffer greatly if we refuse to allow others to assist us in the process of discernment. What gifts or talents are needed for the task at hand? Where do I fit best into God’s plan? Where is God leading me? No one should have to decide the answers to these questions alone. We need to always lean on the Body of Christ to help us see the path that God has laid before us. Without a little help along the journey, over time we might find ourselves stuck in the same place where we started.

– Tracy Earl Welliver

The Blessing of the Community

I have been blessed to be a member of my parish community for 28 years. For much of that time I was serving as a member of the parish staff, but it was still the community that I call home. I have been fortunate to be able to remain in that parish even as my life has encountered new chapters and callings. I am so grateful to God that I have been able to grow, be nourished, and find companionship in a parish for this long of a time.

It is a natural tendency for human beings to desire belonging to something bigger than themselves. Not everyone is fortunate enough to find the community, big or small, that fulfills that need. Unfortunately, that means that many communities suffer from not having the benefit of the gifts, skills, and talents that any member can offer. Communities are in many ways living organisms that move and breathe based upon the individuals who form that body. A community is truly the sum of its parts.

Your parish community reflects you and everyone else in that community. The more each member gives to the community, the stronger that community finds itself. If you hold back, your community suffers, and you gain little. I know firsthand what being a part of a community can mean to a person. I would be no one at all – and you would not be reading this – if it weren’t for the life I have had in my parish community.


The Vision of Stewardship

I love the original movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. All the way through while I watch the film I still laugh and feel like a child. It is only the last line with which I have an issue. Wonka by now has chosen Charlie to succeed him as head of the chocolate factory. They board an elevator that proceeds to crash through the roof and begins to fly. Wonka then asks Charlie if he ever heard of what happened to the boy who got everything he ever wanted. After Charlie says no, Wonka explains, “He lived happily ever after.” As I get older, I can say I have met several people who got all or most of all they have ever wanted, but unlike Charlie, it did not lead to endless bliss. In fact, as a Christian I know that that statement of Wonka’s is a lie. The secret to living happily ever after lies in not getting all you ever wanted, but instead in giving all you ever wanted away.

A person can’t have any sense of that reality until they begin to see his or her life transformed by Jesus. When we have accepted the challenge placed before us and made a choice to live a certain way daily, we can find ourselves transformed. Following Jesus is not easy, but it is the only true way to find authentic joy. When we have emptied ourselves and allowed him to fill the open spaces in us, we become different. We are transformed and, if enough of us in a parish community experience the same journey, our parish is transformed as well. Then we begin to transform the world around us. Don’t be fooled: A flying elevator is cool, but it pales in comparison to what can happen when we find a new life in Jesus Christ.

– Tracy Earl Welliver

The Choice of Stewardship

What does it mean to be a good steward? Does it mean to be an active parishioner, or something more? Are we better stewards because we give more in terms of our money and time to our parish, or are we called to do even more than that?

The truth is that stewardship is a way of life. We are not simply called to be active parishioners, but instead be active disciples all the time. In fact, what we learn to do in our parish should serve as preparation for the mission field of the world. What have we really done if we only act like disciples of Jesus Christ while we are assembled with others who claim to be the same?

The choice before us is to give of ourselves in all aspects of our day and life. The call of Jesus will come in our everyday lives with our co-workers, family, and friends more often than it will within our parish community. First, if we can’t become good stewards when we are among those who proclaim Jesus as Lord, how will we be able to do so when we are with those who are non-believers? Second, when our muscles of gratitude, generosity, and graciousness are strengthened within our parish community, we are more able to meet the challenges of this world. However, we do not become good stewards by accident. We must always choose to live this way. What will you choose?

– Tracy Earl Welliver

The Challenge of Stewardship

Every day we are called by Christ to respond in some way. The more practice we have at giving of ourselves freely and living in His presence, the easier it is to discern that call. Once we hear the call, the choice is ours: will we respond with yes or no? We could say that we are not required to say yes because God has given us free will. However, our response speaks much to where we are in our maturity of faith. When we were children, the word “no” used to be one of our favorites. If we continue to say that as we get older, well, that says something about where we are in our walk with the Lord. If we truly are disciples of Jesus Christ and are serious about growing in our faith, we will say “yes.” We are not required to say yes, but we say yes because that is who we have become.

This is the challenge of a stewardship way of life. Have we matured enough to say yes when God calls, regardless of how much our answer may cost us? What matters more to us: what it will cost us or our relationship with Jesus?  Some days we will easily be able to say yes. The grace and love he gives us will be plenty to see us through whatever situation in which we find ourselves. However, we are imperfect beings and there will be days when we are more into ourselves than him. It is on those days that we find ourselves at a true crossroads of a challenge. The choice is always ours. Hopefully, our faith will be strong enough. His call is never for his own sake. He calls us because the world he created and the Church he instituted need us. They wait just as he does for our response.

– Tracy Earl Welliver

 

Marriage and Family Enrichment from the Diocese of Owensboro - Here you will find Marriage Enrichment Programs such as Grace Marriage, Be Light and other resources for your marriage along with parenting resources.

Focus - Fellowship of Catholic University Students Blog

Diocese of Owensboro Young Adult Facebook Page

Diocese of Owensboro Marriage and Family Life Office  

Busted Halo - Busted Halo is a unique media resource that utilizes a relevant and accessible voice to help young adults understand the Catholic faith, put it into practice in their everyday lives, and share it with others

Chasitity Project Blog

Ascension Presents - Fr. Mike Schmitz videos

Newman Center - Find a Newman Center near you.  Newman Centers are residence and Catholic ministry centers at non-Catholic universities throughout the world. These centers provide pastoral services and ministries to their Catholic communities, in particular to the Roman Catholic student population within universities throughout the world.

National Young Adult Conferences in Steubenville

Murray State University Newman Center

WKU Newman Center

Brescia University Campus Ministry

SEEK a conference by FOCUS -  is an invitation to college students everywhere to explore life’s bigger questions: who we are, where we’re going and what we seek along the journey. As FOCUS’ national conference, SEEK encourages all students to come explore what they truly seek: to learn about the faith, to share in friendship, to be encouraged in their unique vocation — and to experience the love, hope and very real presence of Jesus Christ through His Church.

Hosted for five days every other year, SEEK gathers thousands of college students together from all across the country for a time of prayer, fellowship, engaging talks, inspiring entertainment — and, most importantly, a chance to encounter Christ in a life-changing way.